Journey To the Past
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: She was a girl who knew only of the world she'd been thrust into; every memory of her past seemed to have been erased... but what happens when she finds an old, faded photo in her parents' desk? Suddenly, everything she thought she knew, everyone she loved, was nothing but a lie. She had a sister to find, a past to discover, & part of her soul that needed mending. Est. MCGIVA. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Journey To the Past**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: What if she hadn't died in that bomb attack? She was a girl who knew only of the world she'd been thrust into; every memory of her past seemed to have been erased... but what happens when she finds an old, torn and faded photograph in her parents' desk? Suddenly, everything she thought she knew, everyone she loved, was nothing but a lie. She had a sister to find, a past to discover, and a part of her soul that desperately needed mending. Set in season four. Established MCGIVA. AU.**

**A/N: _Another_ new one? I hate the muse... I could_ kill_ the muse... I think I just might...**

**A/N: Sorry, I had to delete the lyrics because of this in my e-mail this morning: **

_**'It has come to our attention that you have many stories that contain copyrighted lyrics. Please note that this is against the site guideline. As such, we are requesting you to remove any and all lyrics from your stories or remove the stories all together. Please do so within the next 48 hours. Failure to comply will result in account deletion. **_

_**Thank you for your cooperation' **_

**I understand the whole copyright thing, and I'll _comply_ by removing the lyrics, but I've seen several stories on the site in the last few days (_not_ mine, and I don't remember the titles or the writers) that use lyrics in their stories, and yet, they haven't been asked to be removed. At this point, I'm seriously considering checking ArchiveofourOwn's rules on lyrics and posting this to there. I've also got the original drafts on a word document on my laptop, lyrics and all...**

_"Play it again, sister! Please?" The older girl laughed, and took a seat at the piano._

_"Are you sure you want me to play this song and not the other?" She nodded._

_"Ken! It is my absolute favorite song! Please?" A moment passed, before the girl took a seat at the piano, and began to play, seemingly from memory. Her voice soon joined in, her soft mezzo building in volume as the lyrics to the Fox animated movie about the missing Russian princess._

The ringing of her alarm clock jarred her suddenly from her dream, and dark eyes snapped open. She groaned softly, reaching out and turning the clock off before she sat up, running a hand through her dark hair. After glancing at her alarm clock and realizing that it was a little after four in the morning, she pushed herself out of bed, heading for the bathroom. "What time is it?" She stopped in the bathroom doorway, turning back to the occupant of the second bed in the room.

"Four-ten."

The other person groaned, grabbing a pillow and pressing it over their face. "Why you get up so _early_?" The other girl rolled her eyes at the muffled question. With a shake of her head, she headed into the bathroom she shared with her roommate.

"Because I run in the morning. It's called a _routine_, Emily. And no one's asking you to do it. Go back to sleep. I'll be back before classes start." She got no reply, and shut the door. Quickly, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, figuring she'd take a shower when she returned to the dorm. Unlike most of the dorm rooms on Waverly's campus, the one she and Emily shared was in the newer section of the school- complete with a small kitchenette area and its own, spacious bathroom. She quickly pulled her hair into a high ponytail and then slipped out of the room, going to her closet and changing into her running clothes. Once she'd tied her shoes, she grabbed her iPod and slipped it into the holder on her arm, and then grabbed her room key and her wallet. She always stopped for coffee on her way back from her run- there was this small café, midway between Georgetown and Silver Springs, where Waverly was located- that she always frequented, while on a run or not. "I'm goin' out, Em. Try to wake up before-" She stopped, sighing, realizing that the lump on the bed adjacent her hadn't responded or heard a word she'd said. Sighing in annoyance she reached out, smacking the lump on the thigh.

"_Ow! Wha' the hell_, T?" Emily pulled her pillow off her head and looked up at her.

"I'm goin' out. Try to wake up before I get back, okay? We have class at seven-thirty, _remember_? I'll bring coffee." The other girl waved her away, groaning before going back to sleep. Once the door closed behind her, she put her headphones into her ears, turned on her music, and then pulled on her yellow windbreaker, dashing down the steps and out of the building before heading across campus.

Her feet led her down her usual route towards the bridge that spanned the distance between Georgetown and Silver Springs; other runners and joggers were already there, running together or by themselves. Men and women in bright windbreakers so that cars would see them in the darkness. As she picked up her pace, she heard the opening notes of a song that sent her careening to a stop. _"Heart, don't fail me now!"_

She quickly unzipped her windbreaker and tugged it down, revealing her iPod. Pressing a couple buttons, she pulled up the song title; it was one from an old animated movie that'd come out in the late nineties.

_Anastasia._

The fictional story of the missing Russian Grand Duchess, youngest child of the last Tsar. It had been years since she'd seen the movie, but if she remembered correctly, the girl, Anya, had lost her memory, and had gone on a search for her family, falling in love with a conman and stopping an evil sorcerer along the way. For some strange reason, she'd always identified with Anya, though why, she never knew.

She had a loving, wonderful family; a mother and father who lived in Alexandria, in a beautiful little Victorian gingerbread house with three floors, blue trim, and a small wraparound porch that her parents had bought before she was even born. There was a spacious backyard with a tire swing that she loved, and a rose garden that her mother had planted when they were first married.

She had good friends; in fact, Emily wasn't just her roommate, but her best friend- they'd known each other for years, and knew each other so well they could finish each others' sentences or read the other's thoughts. Emily was the closest thing she had to a sister. She'd always wanted a sister, and for years, had hoped that her parents would tell her she had an older sister, gone off to college before she was born, but sadly, she was an only child.

After a moment, she shook herself and pulled her windbreaker back on, continuing on her run. As she entered the park, someone passed by her; they caused her to stop and watch as the person passed. A young woman, maybe a couple years older than her, in a matching yellow windbreaker, hair in a messy ponytail. As she herself stopped, the woman she was watching looked up, meeting her gaze. She possessed the same dark eyes; it was... almost as if she were looking into a mirror. The woman stopped, dark eyes widening in shock-

"Zi! Come on!" Both turned, to see a man waiting near the bridge, dressed in a bright green windbreaker. "We have just enough time to get another lap in before we have to report to Gibbs!" The older woman glanced back at her, before rushing to catch up.

"I'm coming!" And just like that, she was gone, fading away into the distance with her running partner like the last remnants of a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

She'd returned quickly, stopping and picking up the coffee and returning to the dorm, dropping the cups on the small counter in their kitchenette, before making a beeline for the bathroom and locking the door. Emily had gotten up by then, and had been startled to say the least. Once behind the bathroom door, she quickly stripped off her clothing and starting the shower. The room soon filled with steam, and she leaned over the sink, wiping a circle onto the mirror. As she studied her reflection, she thought back to the park-

The woman's dark gaze met hers, and she choked on a gasp, pulling back and turning away. When she looked up again, the only eyes staring back at her from the mirror were hers. Shaking, she stepped into the shower, shutting the door of the shower and letting the warm spray wash over her like ocean waves. It was just _too weird_; when they'd locked eyes, she could have sworn she'd seen those eyes before, and not just in the mirror. Like she _knew_ those eyes. Like she'd known those eyes her entire life.

But that was impossible.

She was an only child, raised in Alexandria, Virginia, to Olga and Nicholas Romanov. Her mother's maiden name had been Volkov- Russian for wolf- and her father had the famous last name of the doomed dynasty that had ruled Russia until nineteen-eighteen. Both her parents were of Russian descent, and she had grown up in her parents' heritage; trips to Russia were normal for the small family, and she was fluent in not only Russian, but Slavik, Ukranian, and Serbian, thanks to her travels throughout the snowy land. She found the Romanovs fascinating- especially the Duchess she was named after.

The second-oldest daughter of the last Tsar, nicknamed "the Governess" by her siblings, she had the countenance of her mother, but wasn't necessarily a great beauty; not like Olga and Maria, though she was the most beloved of Alexandra's four daughters. And though she wasn't as well-known as her youngest sister, Anastasia, she, like the rest of her family, were forever immortalized within the Russian church; a holy Royal martyr, one of five innocent young, virginal lambs brought to the slaughter when she walked down those twenty-nine steps into the basement of the House of Special Purpose.

"Tania? You okay?" Her eyes snapped open, and she took a deep breath.

"... Yeah, Em, I... I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." Once she was certain Emily had left her alone, she grabbed the shampoo and quickly washed and rinsed her hair. As the water washed away the last of the soap, she let her mind wander back to that encounter in the park. The woman had looked exactly like her, almost like she were an older version...

She shut the water off and got out, wrapping a towel around herself and slipping out into the room. "Hey, you all right?" She turned; Emily was sitting on her bed, tying a ponytail holder around the end of her braid. She nodded, swallowing. "You sure? When you got back, it was like you were running from a ghost."

"Fine. Just... worked up a real sweat today. I ran fourteen miles... wanted to get clean." She swallowed as Emily nodded slowly.

"Okay. I'll meet you downstairs?"

"Sounds good." Once Emily had grabbed her books and left, she let the towel drop to the floor and made her way towards the closet. After quickly pulling on a bra and a pair of underwear, she grabbed a pair of jeans and shimmied into them before pulling on a white turtleneck. She quickly blow-dried her hair and then slipped into her black ballet flats. As she grabbed her bag and the coffee she'd bought earlier, she shook the sight of those eyes from her memory, though she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew them. "Ready?"

Emily looked up from her phone with a nod. It was quiet as the two girls headed across campus to their first class; most students took classes in the afternoon; she and Emily were two of the few brave souls who decided to get up before six in order to take class at seven-thirty in the morning. "Did you read the chapter for Lit?" She turned her dark gaze to her best friend, confused. "Dostoyevsky? Remember? We had to read the first part of_ The Brothers Karamazov_? Please tell me you didn't forget."

A moment passed, before she nodded. "Yeah, I read it. Last week, after we got the assignment."

"Of course you did." Emily muttered, rolling her eyes. "Well, can you explain it to me? Because I'm confused. Is it about the brothers or about their father, or something equally as bad?" She snorted softly, shaking her head.

"No, it's about-" But she stopped as she felt strong arms slide around her waist and pull her close.

"Talking literature again? Who we discussing this time?" She glanced over her shoulder, grinning.

"Dostoyevsky." She grinned. "Morning, Alexei." Alexander Frances had known both girls since their freshman year at Waverly; he'd taken an instant liking to the young morning jogger, and not long after they'd started their first semester at the college, they were dating seriously. Now, at twenty-one, the seniors were seriously considering moving in together after graduation. Of course, she was determined to get a graduate degree in Russian history as well as Russian Literature, which would take at least another eight years. She hoped to teach at a university someday, maybe even one in St. Petersburg or even Moscow, back in Russia. It was in her blood, after all. The hopefully future-Marine wrinkled his nose; he hated that nickname, which was why he only allowed her to use it. It was tolerable, coming from her. In the ROTC unit of the campus, he took all his classes on scholarship, but wasn't yet ready to go to war, even though his father had been in the Army, as had his older brother and grandfather.

She leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before pulling away and taking his hand. "Would you two find a closet or something?" She grinned at Emily.

"Just cause your boyfriend is currently overseas-" She held up her bag, hoping to shield the light blow from her roommate. Emily's boyfriend, Damon Werth, was currently out of the country, doing God-only-knew-what over in the Middle East. They stayed in contact, but Emily missed him terribly. A moment passed, before she wrapped her arms around her friend, squeezing quickly. "He'll be home soon, Em." The other girl nodded, burying her face in the dark curls and taking a shuddering breath before pulling away. "Come on. We're gonna be late for class."


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I've rearranged the episodes around for the purpose of the story.**

**Thanks to princessariellover876 for reviewing 1 and Reader for reviewing 1 and 2.**

"_Доброе утро_. Good morning, class."

"Morning, Professor Kaminski."

Unlike most classes, that took place in a lecture hall or a classroom, her Russian Literature class was small enough that it could take place in the campus café. There were only about sixteen students, and they pulled up tables and chairs and sat in a corner of the spacious café, feeling the sunrise on their backs and discussing their assignments. Many took the class because they enjoyed literature, others, because they found the history behind the long-dead writers fascinating, and then there were the few that were trying to get as many literature classes in as possible, for a degree focused mainly on_ English_ literature. Her gaze moved to the far end of the circle, locking on one other student.

Sarah McGee.

She didn't know the girl all that well, but she knew her well enough to identify her from the various literature classes she took, and knew that the girl had only signed up for this particular class because it would one day look good on her degree, despite the fact that she was only a sophomore. The majority in this class were seniors or juniors, so a sophomore was a shock, but soon, the girl had managed to prove that she was just as literate in Russian as she was English literature. The girl was quiet, and often spent her time in the library, at one of the small cubicle desks. She was nice, but not necessarily someone the small trio would spend time hanging out with. Part of it had to do with the fact that Sarah's older brother was a Fed, and there was a small part of her that was afraid she'd attack the girl out of pure jealousy if her brother was brought up. Then there was the fact that the girl had been accused of murder by NCIS two weeks ago, and had since been cleared. The Major Case team had shown up on campus and turned everything upside down- making Sarah the center of gossip that still hadn't ended yet. So she left Sarah to herself, offering the occasional smile when they locked eyes.

Her professor glanced at each student, warm blue eyes eventually landing on her with a smile. "How were your weekends?" A soft chorus of murmurings met her, and she nodded, going to the barista and accepting the coffee she'd ordered earlier before the others arrived. Professor Feodora Kaminski was small- only about five-foot-three- with long blonde hair and a small, upturned nose. Raised in the former Soviet Union in the late seventies and early eighties, she'd been one of about a hundred 'baby gymnasts' who had gone to the 'seventy-eight World Championships in Strasbourg. She'd been a good friend to gold-medalist Elena Mukhina, the Russian gymnast who'd become a quadriplegic after attempting a Thomas Salto, a move only reserved for male gymnasts nowadays. She still kept in touch with Mukhina, and was going back to Russia to spend Christmas with her this year. After the disbanding of the USSR, the former gymnast had moved to America and gotten a degree in Russian Literature, eventually ending up at Waverly.

"I trust that you all read the assigned chapters from _The Brothers Karamazov_ over the weekend..." The former gymnast rubbed her back as she passed by, heading back to the front of the class and took a seat. She yawned, propping her head in her hand as she watched the older woman. Something kicked her under the table and she sat up, turning. Emily was watching her, studying silently, eyes wide. The girl cocked her head to the side, mouthing the words, 'You okay?' and she nodded, yawning. With a quick, 'Just tired' she turned back to the discussion, catching sight of Emily shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. Sighing, she pushed her book aside and leaned back in her chair, turning her gaze towards the spacious green just outside the café.

She often chose this spot for that specific reason- she liked to people watch. Sadly, there weren't many people outside right now, since it was close to seven-ten, and the weather proved it was going to be blustery, if not all out air smelled like rain and cracked with the buzz of impending storm clouds. She loved the rain, and would spend days at home sitting on the back porch, listening to the rain, or laying in the grass, getting soaked through to the skin to the point that she'd have to strip to her underwear and put on a pair of pajamas and sit in front of the fire, a blanket around her shoulders and a cup of hot tea in her hands.

"Now, let's look at the passage in the first half of chapter four..." Her professor's voice soon faded into the background as she rested her forehead to the window, watching as the sky darkened to black and thunder began to rumble in. Her eyes slowly closed as the clouds broke and it began to rain, the scent and sound of the rain mixing with the discussion sending her to sleep.

_They curled up together on the sofa, eyes glued to the TV as the young orphan knelt and picked up her scarf, thinking. She snuggled into the older girl's side, poking her in the ribs. When the girl jumped, she giggled, meeting identical dark eyes. "Sing, please, sister."_

_"But we are watching the movie. I thought you wanted to hear her sing it?" She shrugged._

_"But you sing so much prettier. Please?" A moment passed, before the older girl sighed. Instead of singing, she began to softly hum the first couple lines, before allowing the words to fall from her lips._

_She giggled, snuggling closer. Slowly, she slid her hand into the other girl's, titling her head to look up at her. When the other girl met her gaze, she grinned, recognizing the same dark eyes she'd seen in the park this morning..._

_She blinked, confused. Suddenly, the girl was being pulled away from her, as though a hooked cane had grabbed her around the waist, or wires had been attached to her limbs, dragging her off the sofa and away from her. "No! Wait! Where are you going? Sister!" The girl's scream echoed back to her, as she disappeared into the smoke..._

_"Tali!"_

Someone was shaking her, roughly._ "Tatya! Tatiana, wake up! Tatiana!"_ She jerked awake, eyes snapping open to find the rest of the class watching her with concern. Her chest heaved as she dragged in air, as though she'd been running a marathon and had finally reached the finish line. She looked around, to find Professor Kaminski kneeling beside her table, concern in her blue eyes. "Are you all right, Tatiana? You were yelling in your sleep." Kaminski reached up, brushing her fingers over the girl's forehead, feeling for fever.

"I... I yes... I... yelling?" She furrowed a brow as her professor nodded.

"Yes. What, I'm not sure. It... it sounded almost like you were yelling in... in Hebrew." She studied her professor, certain she'd gone made.

"How do you-"

"My husband is Jewish, I know Hebrew when I hear it." Kaminski sighed. "Maybe you should go back to the dorm, rest. You are probably coming down with something. Better to end it now before you get really sick. I'll let your other professors know that you'll be out of classes for the rest of the day." As the older woman stood, she watched, holding her breath. "Well, go on. I won't have one of my students staying in class when she should be resting. Go on." After a moment, she gathered her books and stood, glancing at Emily and Alexei before leaving. As she got to the door, she glanced back once, locking eyes with Sarah McGee before dashing out into the rain, heading back to her dorm. She didn't notice Sarah watching her with the strangest light in her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

By the time she reached her dorm, she was soaked to the skin, shaking and unable to get the dream out of her head. She quickly stripped out of her wet clothes and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face as she caught her breath. Slowly, she met her gaze in the mirror, the name that the other girl in her dream had screamed ringing in her head.

_Tali._

She'd never heard the name before. It was as foreign to her as the Hebrew Professor Kaminski insisted she'd been screaming in her sleep. She'd never heard Hebrew, let alone learned it. After a moment, she rang her hair out and then went back into the room, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She quickly brushed her hair out, and then plopped onto her bed, watching the rain fall outside her window, her mind going back to the dream. The older girl had looked down at her, with the same eyes as the woman she'd seen in the park. Sighing, she shifted onto her other side, pulling a blanket over herself and letting the sound of the rain lull her into an exhausted sleep.

Two hours later, she awoke to her phone ringing, and, still half-asleep, searched until she found it in her bag. "'ello?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, love, I was planning on leaving a message."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, sitting back on her bed as her mother's voice entered her hearing. "It.. it's okay, Mama."

"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Tanushka?" She sighed at the diminutive her parents often used for her, and glanced outside.

"I was. Professor Kaminski sent me back to the dorm; she said she didn't think I looked well. Told me to go back and rest." Silence met her for a moment, before her mother spoke again.

"Professor Kaminski is a wise woman." She nodded, laying back on the bed. "Anyway, I wanted to see if you would like to come home for dinner tonight, love."

"I just came home last weekend."

"I know, but I'm making Pelmeni..." A moment passed, as she sat up and bit her lip, glancing out the window. "... you can stay home and rest tonight, and Papa and I will take you back to Waverly tomorrow."

"I don't think so, Mama. I'm going to have enough homework to catch up on, and I can't take time off from school to come-"

"Oh honey, it won't be any trouble-" She groaned; with the start to her day, she wasn't in the mood for her mom's pushing.

"_I said no, Mama_!" The startled silence that hit her from the other end of the line was deafening. She rarely lost her temper, especially at her parents, and instantly, guilt tugged at her heart. "I... I'm sorry. I just... I'm just not feeling well. Maybe this weekend, okay?"

"Okay. We'll see you this weekend. _Я тебя люблю_, Tanushka."

"I... I love you too, Mama." She pinched the bridge of her nose, relaxing when her mother finally hung up. Once done, she tumbled back onto the bed, taking a deep breath. Her mother had acted downright... pushy when insisting that she come home tonight. Not that her mother wasn't_ always_ pushy, but pushier than usual. Like she didn't want her at school. When she looked up next, it was to the door opening and Emily slipping inside, tears in her eyes. "Em, what's wrong?" She was off the bed faster than a wildfire engulfing a cabin. "Em, look at me. What's wrong?" She led the girl to her bed, sitting her down and reaching up to wipe the tears off her friend's cheeks. The girl took a deep breath, meeting her gaze.

"I... I got a... a call from... from Damon's CO."

"Okay?"

"He... Damon, he... he's been... he's been home _for weeks_..."

"What?" Emily nodded.

"Yeah. He was... wounded in... in..." The girl stopped, choking on a gasp. "He's been in the... the hospital for... for the last four weeks... they... they _lied_ to me..."

"Em, calm down, okay? Where's Damon?"

"At... at Beth... Beth..."

"Bethesda?" The other girl nodded. "Okay." She stood, going to her desk and grabbing her heavy jacket. She then pulled on her tennis shoes and grabbed her keys, going to the door. "Come on."

"Wh... wait... where are we going?" She turned back to Emily, who hadn't moved from the bed.

"To Bethesda."

"But... but why?" She sighed, going to the girl and helping her to her feet.

"We're gonna see Damon. Make sure he's okay. Come on, that's a good girl. I'll drive."

The drive to Bethesda didn't take long, and as soon as the car was parked, she was out and dragging Emily into the hospital. A quick check with the receptionist sent the girls up to the mental ward, where the found one of the Fed agencies investigating a crime scene. "Can you tell us where Cor-"

"Corporal Damon Werth, Force Recon, part of the second Marines stationed in Remati-"

"That's Damon. Where is he?" The man turned, green eyes sparking in surprise.

"Um... I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Emily Monroe and this is... my best friend, Tania Romanov. We got to Waverly. Damon's my boyfriend. Where is he?" She wrapped an arm around Emily's shoulders, holding her close. The young agent's eyes sparked at the mention of the college, but he shook his head.

"We aren't-"

"McGee." The three turned as an older man with silver hair and striking blue eyes joined them. "Who are these two?"

"Uh... this is Emily Monroe and-"

"Tania." She whispered, feeling unnerved at the two agents' gazes. After a moment, the other agent excused himself to get security footage. "Um... can... you tell us... Mr.-"

"Special Agent Gibbs." The older man replied. She nodded.

"Right. Special Agent Gibbs. Um... what... what happened to Damon? Is... is he okay?" Agent Gibbs sighed, studying the two girls.

"We aren't sure yet. Right now, it's an active crime scene."

"Crime scene? What could Damon _possibly_ have done-" She laid a hand on Emily's head, brushing back her bangs.

"Broke out of a government facility, took a hostage..." Emily shook her head.

"No. No, not... not Damon..." The man watched the girls as Emily broke down. After a moment, he took Emily gently by the arm, leading them out of the hospital.

"Ziva, McGee!" The two watched as the man they'd met earlier and a young woman hurried towards them. As they got closer, she stopped, suddenly recognizing the woman as the one she'd passed in the park this morning. The woman met her gaze, brow furrowing, before turning back to the lead agent. "Take these two back to NCIS. Get as much information about Corporal Werth as you possibly can." The two agents shared a glance, before doing as told. As they led the girls towards the their car, she asked,

"Um... where are we going?" The two agents shared a glance, before they pulled out of the parking lot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry, was right in the middle of finals, so I didn't have time to write, except on final papers.**

******A/N: Did you hear? Robin Williams died at 63 from an apparent suicide. I loved him, he was my favorite comedians and actors... **

**Thanks to EowynGoldberry for reviewing 4 and Reader for reviewing 3 and 4. **

The conference room was quiet. Emily was reading, struggling to keep her nervousness under control, and she'd drifted off to sleep, head resting on her folded arms on the table. The two agents had directed the girls to the conference room before going back down to the bullpen, pulling up any information they could on Werth. Exhausted, she'd fallen asleep, letting the silence and the sound of the rain on the windows send her off to dreamland.

If the agents returned, Emily would wake her. At one point, Emily looked up from her book, sighing as she set it aside and draped the open coat her friend wore over her, so that she was warm in the chilled room. Then, she returned to her book, checking the time on her phone. She was desperate to see Damon, to know he was all right, but until the agents gave the okay, she'd just have to wait.

_She bounded after the older girl, holding tight to her hand. The street was crowded, and the siblings stayed close together, holding tight to the other girl's hand, lacing their fingers. "Will you play the song again when we get home, sister?" The older girl glanced down at her, thinking._

_"Perhaps. If Ima says it is okay before homework." She squealed in delight, rushing to dash forward, but the older girl tightened her grip on her hand, tugging her back. "Ima told you to stay with me, Tali. She does not want us running off and getting hurt. Not after the last attack." She turned back to her sister, seeing the tears quickly build within the familiar dark eyes._

_"Do not cry, Zivaleh. I am sorry." She reached up, brushing at the tears that slid down the girl's cheeks. Her sister pulled away, turning her gaze to the ground._

_"I... I am fine, Tali." But she cocked her head, watching the other girl, noticing as her shoulders shook slightly. She wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, resting her head against the girl. She felt slender arms slip around her, and after a moment, the girl ran a hand through her hair before pulling away. As they continued walking, she slid her fingers through the older girl's, silently promising not to run off like she had tried to before. Eventually, they reached an apartment complex, and the girl led her up the stairs to the third floor. As she unlocked the door, another girl stepped out of the adjacent apartment. _

_"Hi, Tali. Hi, Ziva." The older girl glanced over her shoulder, grinning. _

_"Hey, Deena. Are we still going to the movies tonight?" _

_"Abba said it was okay. Did you-" The girl shook her head. _

_"I have not asked him yet. But even if he says no, Ima will say yes." The other girl, Deena, giggled. _

_"Meet downstairs in the lobby tonight? At six?" Her sister nodded, and with a wave, Deena was gone. Once they were inside the apartment, she shut the door behind them._

_"Movies? Can I come?" Her older sister raised an eyebrow, before going into the kitchen. She looked around the living room. She'd never seen this living room before, or the apartment complex it was in._ _They'd seemingly walked through the desert earlier, in a city that was surrounded by dust and dirt and not a hint of green. It was unlike any place she'd ever been. But even so, it still had its own beauty about it, just as this apartment did, and the girl she called her sister. "Sister? Can I come with you tonight? What movie are you seeing?"_ _The other girl shrugged, and she looked up to see her coming into the living room, with a bowl of pretzels and a cup of coffee. She set the things on the coffee table and then pulled her work out of her messenger bag. She watched as the girl settled down and began working on her homework, but she herself didn't reach for hers; instead, she turned to studying the girl beside her._

_They looked a lot alike, she could tell, from the skin tone to the hair color, but what got her were the other girl's eyes. They were just as dark, just as startling as hers were, if not more. A soft, beautiful mocha brown, with flecks of gold or copper within. She shifted her gaze from the girl's profile to her hands; they were small, slender, her fingers and hands tiny almost. Her nails were short, blunt, and she wore a henna tattoo on the back of her left hand. Clearly, she'd gone out with friends and gotten it done, but she'd never seen a pattern so intricate. The beautiful brown henna looked like soft, delicate lace, surrounding an intricate pattern of vines that started at her fingertips, winding around her middle fingers and moving down the back of her hands to encircle two doves touching beaks. _

_Slowly, she reached out to touch the design, but the girl glanced her way and then got up. "Where are you going? Sister?"_

_"I just need to get something from my room, Tali. Relax." She watched the girl move through the rest of the apartment, back towards a small hallway that led to the back bedrooms. When she looked up, she watched as the girl walked into one of the closer bedrooms. Several minutes passed, before she got up, slowly making her way towards the hall. __Slowly, she pushed open the door she'd seen the other girl walk through-_

The door to the conference room slammed open, banging against the far wall, and she jerked awake, sitting up and choking on a gasp as she sucked in air. When she looked up, it was to see the two agents that had brought them both in entering the room. The man set two cups on the table, pushing one towards each of them, as the woman shut the door behind her. "Sister?"

The agent's head snapped up, dark eyes widening at the voice. Slowly, she turned, gaze landing on the girl at the table.

"Wh... what did you say?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

She looked up, to see the male agent join them at the table; the female stayed back by the door, dark eyes wide. "I'm Special Agent McGee, and this is Officer _Da_vid."

"How is Damon? Can we see him?" Emily asked, setting her book down. Special Agent McGee sighed.

"Unfortunately not. We haven't been able to locate Corporal Werth yet, but we're searching." Emily whimpered, but she turned to study the man.

"Wait, McGee? You... you wouldn't be related to Sarah McGee, would you?" She asked, and he nodded softly.

"Actually, yes. Sarah is my baby sister." Emily's eyes widened, and she herself turned back to the woman by the door- she hadn't moved from the door since they'd entered. Instead, the woman held onto the door handle, taking deep breaths, dark eyes darting between the girl and Special Agent McGee. "Now, Officer _Da_vid and I need to ask you a few-" He turned back to the dark-haired officer. "Ziva? Zi!" She turned to the agent, the nickname ringing in her head.

_"Zi! Come on! We have just enough time-"_ Suddenly, she understood why he looked so familiar. It wasn't because he was Sarah's brother, but it was because he was the man she'd seen in the park during her run. "Ziva, are you gonna help with the questioning or are you just gonna stand there?" The woman pushed herself away from the door and made her way towards the table. She rolled her shoulders and then seemed to lower a mask over her face, as though she were an actor playing a part. Taking a deep breath, she leaned over the table and held out a hand, shaking each girl's hand.

"I'm Officer _Da_vid. It's nice to meet you. We just want to ask you a few questions."

"Officer David?" She raised an eyebrow. "What are you? Secret Police or something?" The woman sighed, taking a seat beside Agent McGee.

"It's_ Da_vid. And... I am a liaison officer working with NCIS."

"Liaison for what?" Emily asked, as the two girls shared a glance.

"Mossad."

"So... you're... what? Israeli Secret Service or Secret Police or something?" The woman nodded at Emily, licking her lips.

"_Ken_... yes." The dark-haired beauty narrowed her eyes, purshing her lips at Emily. "How do you know about Israeli Mossad?" Emily blushed.

"My... my dad works for... for MSNBC. He... he's been over to Israel tons of times. He... he did an interview with the... the Deputy Director of Mossad once a... Director-"

"_Da_vid." The officer nodded, sighing as she glanced down at her hands. "No doubt, my father tried to past himself in the best light possible."

"Cast." The woman looked up, meeting Agent McGee's gaze. "Cast, Ziva." He whispered, and she nodded, turning back to the girls.

"Yes, well, shall we-"

"The... Director of Mossad is your... dad?" Emily asked, eyes widening. Officer David nodded, sniffling. She quickly brushed away tears, and glanced at her partner. The two girls watched as something more than mere friendship passed between them, and he squeezed her hand, before he continued.

"We just wanted to ask you a few questions, okay? Get a little background on Corporal Werth..."

"Okay." Emily nodded, sitting up straighter and reaching for the cup he'd set in front of her. "What... what do you want to know?" Agent McGee sighed, but Officer David took over.

"How long have you known Corporal Werth?"

Emily sniffled and set her cup down, taking a deep breath. "Um... we met at... at the Marine Corps Ball back when... when I was a sophomore. My... my half-brother is a Marine and he... he took me to it. I ended up dancing with Damon and... we hit it off, you know?" Emily shrugged, swallowing. "It was like... like we'd known each other our whole lives..." She didn't miss the glance the two shared across the table, even if Emily did. Clearly, they'd known each other for quite a while, and there was more there than just work-related partnership, if the glances they were sharing were any indication.

"Yes, we do." The woman whispered, giving him a small smile before turning back to the questioning. She locked eyes with the officer, and her heart began to skip a beat; this was the definitely the woman from the park that morning. Though they sat only a couple feet across from each other, she couldn't help feeling as though she'd _seen_ the woman somewhere before; like she knew her, had always known her. Almost as if-

"Do you know where Corporal Werth was sta-"

"Do... do you have siblings, Officer?" The woman started, dark eyes wide as she turned to the college student. After a moment, the woman in question swallowed hard, before nodding.

"Y... yes... I... I did."

"How many?" She cocked her head to the side, waiting for the question; the woman glanced at the agent, before turning back to her and biting her lip.

"Um... t... two..." She nodded, thinking. "How long have you known Corporal Werth, Ms. Rom-"

"Brothers?" She watched as the officer took a deep breath, glancing at the agent. He raised an eyebrow; clearly, this interview wasn't going the way they'd planned. A whole conversation passed between the two government workers, a thousand questions being asked and answered in uncertainty. After a moment, he sighed and sat back, shrugging. With a soft sigh, the woman turned back to her.

"A brother and..." The Israeli beauty stopped, taking a deep breath. She could hear the tears choking her voice, as though the woman were recalling a painful memory. "and a... a sister. They're both dead now."

"Oh. I... I'm sorry." She reached out, laying her hand over the officer's, causing the woman's head to snap up in shock. She swallowed, searching those familiar dark eyes before asking, "What... what were their names?"

She watched the Israeli bite her lip, before choking out softly, "My... my brother's name was... Ari and..." She forced the sob rushing to her vocal chords back down. They strained under the weight of grief she still felt over her sister's death as she whispered, "Tali. My... my sister's name was..." They locked eyes.

_"Tali."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: I'm_ so sorry_ this is so late! I got really sick back on September 26th-27th, and have just now been feeling up to writing again; dance and Nutcracker has started, and I'm also right in the middle of finals for my current class session, I'm also working on- trying- to finish a birthday gift for a friend- _The Mystic's Dream_ that's a Frozen/ROTG's crossover, so... yeah, life has pretty much decided to be a bitch to me in the worst sense of the word. The irony is I had this chapter written and edited, but I'd moved it to a different folder than the one I normally keep all my McGiva WIP fics in... **

**Anyway, I'm so, so sorry. **

**Thanks to Sazzita for reviewing 6 and Reader for reviewing 5 and 6.**

The officer slowly pulled her hand away, tears glistening in her eyes. She took a deep breath, quickly and harshly wiping them away before glancing at the agent beside her. Silently, the man slid his hand out, taking her fingers. The girls shared a glance as the two laced hands; clearly- clearly- there was something going on between the two that they were forced to keep secret. A private, forbidden rendezvous, played out in closets and empty conference rooms. The thought that these two government workers were engaging in such a... _Romeo and Juliet_ affair sent a thrill straight to her heart, for some unknown reason.

The woman cleared her throat, swallowing against a lump of emotion, her voice once more confident and strong. "How... how long have you known Corporal Werth, Ms. Romanov?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Um... about the same time as Em. He's... he's a really good guy. Quiet. And besides Em, his... his whole life is the Marines. But Damon, he... he wouldn't do what you're saying, he... he wouldn't do something like this." She stopped, studying the woman.

"He was in the mental ward, Ms. Romanov. They had him hopped up on drugs, he is obviously suffering from PTSD, at this point, we don't know what he could do in this state. He's a dangerous individual." Em shook her head, interrupting the man.

"No! Damon's not dangerous, he... he wouldn't do that! He.. he wouldn't hurt a fly-"

But she wasn't listening as Emily attempted to make the agent understand; she was too busy drinking in every detail of the Mossad officer sitting across from her. The woman's long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, curls tumbling over her shoulder. Her dark eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and the cupid's bow of her mouth was soft, lower lip pulled in between her teeth as she focused on a space upon the table before her. She was very beautiful, this officer, but what got her was the small point in the center of her top of her forehead.

A widow's peak.

It was small, but it was there.

"... thank you, girls." She looked up, gaze snapping towards the agent as he stood, gently tugging the officer to her feet. Silently, he slid a couple cards towards them. "If you think of anything else, let us know." Both nodded, taking the cards. As she followed Emily and the officers out of the conference room, she glanced at the agent's name on the card.

_Special Agent Timothy McGee_

So, this was Sarah's older brother. She tapped the card against her thigh, thinking. It looked like she and Sarah would have something to talk about before class next time. Looking up, she realized that the other three had left; Emily would no doubt be waiting by the elevators, and she scrambled down the hallway, turning the corner-

_THWACK!_

She landed on her nonexistent butt with an 'oof!', and quickly shook her head, closing her eyes to keep from swaying. When she opened them, she found herself sitting across from an older woman dressed in distinctly Goth attire, with her hair done-up in pigtails, and black, buckled platform shoes on. Judging from the white lab coat, she guessed that the woman worked in autopsy or something similar.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" The woman was on her feet instantly, holding out a hand; she took it, catching sight of short black nails against porcelain skin, and after a moment, accepted it, climbing to her feet.

"Yeah, I... I'm okay, thanks." She looked down, dusting herself. But her head instantly snapped up at the silence, and she found the woman staring at her. "Um... you okay?" The woman had cocked her head to the side, brows knit together. She could see a spider web tattoo on the woman's exposed neck. "What?"

"When did you change your hair?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" The woman stepped closer, into her personal space, causing her to back up.

"Your hair, Ziva. When did you change your hair? When I saw you this morning, it was in a ponytail. Now it's down. Why did you take it down? Okay, I get that you're hair looks, like, absolutely amazing either way and that Timmy likes it down, but I much prefer it up. It's so much prettier up and you can actually see the widow's peak you have, which I think is cool. There aren't many people who have widow's peaks-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm not... Ziva, whoever she is."

The Goth screwed up her eyebrows again. She scoffed. "How can you not be Ziva? You look_ exactly_ like her." The woman reached out, brushing her bangs away. "Right down to the widow's peak."

She pulled away. "Well I'm _not_ Ziva. And I don't look like her- whoever she is."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Because you look just like her. So much like her, you could be her identical twin. Or her little sister."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Sorry, I had to delete the lyrics because of this in my e-mail this morning:**

_**'It has come to our attention that you have many stories that contain copyrighted lyrics. Please note that this is against the site guideline. As such, we are requesting you to remove any and all lyrics from your stories or remove the stories all together. Please do so within the next 48 hours. Failure to comply will result in account deletion.**_

_**Thank you for your cooperation'**_

**I understand the whole copyright thing, and I'll _comply_ by removing the lyrics (however, I think removing the lyrics from this loses something to Tania's dreams) and I have no right to complain- and I shouldn't-, but I always state who the song belongs to- I'm sorry, but I'm a little miffed: I've seen _several_ stories on the site in the last few days (_not_ mine, and I don't remember the titles or the writers, thanks to late, late night readings to unwind from reading my forensic psychology book for class) that use lyrics in their stories, and yet,_ they_ haven't been asked to be removed. **

**I've also got the original drafts on a word document on my laptop, lyrics and all...**

**Thanks to Reader and EowynGoldberry for reviewing 7.**

_You could be her little sister._

That was absolutely ridiculous.

The bathroom door swung shut, and she quickly checked that she was alone before leaning against the sink. She took a deep breath, hearing the officer's voice, seeing the tears in her eyes when she choked out the name:

_Tali._

It was the same; the very same name from her dream. The name that the girl in her dream called her- the girl that looked like a younger version of the officer that had been questioning them today. And obviously, the name had choked the officer up, since she'd pretty much fallen silent afterwards, leaving her partner to do the questioning.

Her partner. She snorted, rolling her eyes.

Yes, they were_ definitely_ partners- in more ways than one, that much was clear. The way they'd looked at each other..

It was how Alexei looked at her; the same, bright glint in his eyes. She sighed, turning on the faucet and letting the cold water run over her hands before she quickly splashed water on her face as the Goth's words rang once again in her head.

It was a biological impossibility- she didn't have a sister. Had never had a sister; Emily was her best friend, not her sister. She had no siblings to speak of, an ever-present only that got everything she wanted when she wanted it, even if she didn't want it right then. Her parents had spoiled her rotten, giving in to her every whim:

Dance lessons, vacations, sweets.

She'd never had a sibling, never been forced to share with anyone-

_Sister._

The word from her dream came slamming back into her brain, as she ran her wet hands over her hair, holding it away from her face so it wouldn't stick to her skin. She looked up into the mirror, meeting her own eyes, the word once more sounding in her head. Slowly, her gaze in the mirror moved up, and she caught her breath painfully in her chest.

Flashes of the officer's widow's peak cut through her vision, of the smooth, dark strands held back from her face with a hair tie, the curls tumbling down her back. They flashed before her reflection, soon fading to allow her to see her forehead.

With a widow's peak _exactly_ like the officer's.

She quickly pulled her hands away, stumbling back from the mirror and reaching for the paper towels; her hands shook as she quickly dried them and reached for the door handle. She pulled it open, letting out a strangled yelp of surprise; the woman on the other side jumped and quickly pressed a hand to the stitch in her chest, eyes closing briefly as she exhaled slowly. She herself took slow, soft, deep breaths, never releasing the door handle.

"You scared me."

"I... I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to..." Slowly, the woman opened her eyes, lifting her head to meet the college student's gaze.

It was like looking in a mirror.

Same dark eyes, same dark hair, same soft, mocha skin, and that damn widow's peak, in exactly the same place.

Sister.

Not for the first time, that word popped into her head, and she mentally kicked it back into the nether. But even as they stood there, staring at each other, each unsure of how to act or what to say, she couldn't help conceding that maybe, the strange Goth was right. They did look like they could be from the same family-

She quickly shook her head. "I... sorry, I'm... I'll get out of your way." She stepped forward as the officer did the same, and then quickly stepped back. It was an awkward dance that ended with them both standing in the bathroom face-to-face. Silence fell between them, and after a moment, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and held out her hand, studying the woman. Now that she wasn't being interrogated for something she didn't know about, she could drink in all the details she wanted. The woman was petite, about her height, and her skin looked smooth as caramel and soft as silk- a tiny part of her longed to reach out and trail her fingers over it. "I don't think we got off on the right foot. I... I'm Tania." The officer nodded, meeting her gaze.

"Ziva."

As their hands connected and they shook, both women jumped.


End file.
